Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

About OCD

Harvard Mental Health Letter (2005) introduces us to OCD by writing that “We all use the words “obsessive” and “compulsive” loosely to describe people who worry too much, spend too much time on details, or become deeply immersed in a single activity to the exclusion of everything else. And many of us have superstitious habits or perfectionistic scruples that we know are unreasonable”.

The definition of OCD is stated by the Harvard Mental Health Letter (2005) is “Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and cause serious discomfort, anxiety, or distress”.

According to the article “ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Diagnosis and Management”(2015) there are three influential factors :genetics, neurochemical disturbances such as serotonin and dopamine imbalances as well as environmental influences.

Once diagnosed with OCD individuals can start treatment that includes medication like antidepressants and antianxiety treatments. It also concentrates on controlling behaviors and education for the family and individual as reported by American Family Physician Journal in the article “ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Diagnosis and Management” (2015) .

OCD can be devastating to an individual's daily life. the Rituals make life hard as a person feels the need to repetitively perform an action like hand washing opening and closing doors etc. In the book Psychiatric Nursing we learn that these Impulses are very strong. the person feels driven to do these actions over and over again before they can move on to something else. Stewart. G and Laraia M. (1998,pp 286-287).